Photo: U.S. Navy
Joint military operations that are based on the coordination of crewed hardware and drones are becoming a priority for the world’s most important military forces. Whether it’s at land or at sea, the U.S. and Russia are testing military drones’ ability to collect and transmit data to a tank or a submarine.
The U.S. Navy’s most recent exercise shows that drones are on the way to becoming an essential part of military operations.
Working off the coast of San Diego, the exercise demonstrated the successful coordination of an unmanned maritime surveillance aircraft system, the MQ-9B Sea Guardian, with a guided-missile cruiser.
The maritime drone’s main objective is to detect and gather information about targets that are located far away and then, by using sonobuoys (tactical sonar systems that are able to transmit submarine information), to send this data to the commander on board the cruiser. The commander then uses the coordinates of targets and locations sent by the drone, to prepare and actually fire the missile.
The MQ-9B Sea Guardian was developed as a multi-domain unmanned aircraft system (UAS) that is able to collect and deliver clear data, in real time. According to its manufacturer, General Atomics, it’s built with a high damage tolerance, including the ability to operate in bad weather conditions, and it’s designed to operate for over 40,000 hours.
Although the MQ-9B Sea Guardian is mainly used for its military applications, it’s actually a versatile surveillance system that can be useful in many other areas, including search and rescue operations.
The Sea Guardian integration demonstration is part of a complex U.S. Pacific Fleet exercise, the UxS IBP 21 (Unmanned Integrated Battle Problem 21), a week-long event that is demonstrating the integration of crewed and uncrewed capabilities in various scenarios, involving different assets.
“The integration between unmanned and manned capabilities shown today provides an operations approach to strengthening our manned-unmanned teaming. Putting our newest technology into our Sailors’ hands directly enhances our fleet”, said Rear Adm. James A. Aiken, UxS IBP 21 tactical commander, after the successful demonstration.
Working off the coast of San Diego, the exercise demonstrated the successful coordination of an unmanned maritime surveillance aircraft system, the MQ-9B Sea Guardian, with a guided-missile cruiser.
The maritime drone’s main objective is to detect and gather information about targets that are located far away and then, by using sonobuoys (tactical sonar systems that are able to transmit submarine information), to send this data to the commander on board the cruiser. The commander then uses the coordinates of targets and locations sent by the drone, to prepare and actually fire the missile.
The MQ-9B Sea Guardian was developed as a multi-domain unmanned aircraft system (UAS) that is able to collect and deliver clear data, in real time. According to its manufacturer, General Atomics, it’s built with a high damage tolerance, including the ability to operate in bad weather conditions, and it’s designed to operate for over 40,000 hours.
Although the MQ-9B Sea Guardian is mainly used for its military applications, it’s actually a versatile surveillance system that can be useful in many other areas, including search and rescue operations.
The Sea Guardian integration demonstration is part of a complex U.S. Pacific Fleet exercise, the UxS IBP 21 (Unmanned Integrated Battle Problem 21), a week-long event that is demonstrating the integration of crewed and uncrewed capabilities in various scenarios, involving different assets.
“The integration between unmanned and manned capabilities shown today provides an operations approach to strengthening our manned-unmanned teaming. Putting our newest technology into our Sailors’ hands directly enhances our fleet”, said Rear Adm. James A. Aiken, UxS IBP 21 tactical commander, after the successful demonstration.
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